Charlotte Hot Water Heater Installation and Repair Services

Posted on March 25, 2012 by ER Plumbing

Did you know hot water heaters tend to lose efficiency each year as they age? Should you get your hot water heater maintained or replaced? Is your hot water heater old, or is it considered new? The following points should answer your questions about hot water heaters in general:

Reasons To Get A Plumber Out To Look At Your Hot Water Heater

Your water bill has risen
You run out of hot water quickly
You have to wait a long time for hot water
You want to switch from electric to gas hot water heater
You’ve noticed your energy bills have risen and you wonder if switching hot water heaters would lower your energy bills

Why Your Hot Water Heater Might Be Costing You A Pretty Penny In Energy Bills

Your hot water heater is the third-highest energy guzzler in your home. (Your dryer and fridge are the only two appliances that use more energy than your hot water heater.)
If you switch from electric to gas water heater, you’ll save up to 50% on energy costs
If you have an older water heater (over ten years old), it’s probably only functioning at 50% efficiency. (You can check the age by looking at the numbers on the metal plate on the heater – you’ll see a date listed there.)

Hot Water Heater Installation – Choosing a New Hot Water Heater

Here at ER Plumbing, we usually recommend and install the following hot water heaters:

Rheem Water Heaters
State Water Heaters
A O Smith Water Heaters
Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters
Noritz Tankless Water Heaters

All of these hot water heater manufacturers have high ratings and are known for crafting excellent quality water heaters.

For more information on choosing a new hot water heater, check out our series of blog posts about choosing a hot water heater by:

Size and capacity
Cost
Type (tank versus tankless, hybrid, recirculating, etc.)

You can also read up on hot water maintenance (this will help you heater last much longer) here.

Call ER Plumbing now at 704-269-1066 or use our online contact form for hot water heater evaluation, repair or installation.

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Posted in Hot Water Heaters, Plumbing | 3 Comments

Charlotte Water Damage Restoration

Posted on March 18, 2012 by ER Plumbing

Have you experienced water damage to your home or business? If you have experienced flooding, a sewer line stoppage, or leaky pipes, you know how destructive water damage can be to your home or business.

Why Water Damage Is More Serious Than You Might Think

Water damage can cause more than aesthetic damage; it can cause mold to grow, which can be hazardous to your health. You might not think mold is a big deal, but it is, and it can become an exponentially worse condition as time progresses. Mold can cause respiratory problems so severe that it can render a home unlivable or put you out of business. To read more about mold and the serious health effects associated with it, check out this article at LiveStrong.

Water damage can also cause the value of your home or business to plummet, making it difficult to resell later. It can cause clients to take their business elsewhere or make it difficult to entertain or enjoy your home sweet home.

So what should you do if you discover a long standing leak in your basement? What if you’ve put off replacing that leaky pipe and now have water damage? It’s important to address both the cause of the water damage and the water damage itself to protect yourself and your home or business.

Charlotte Water Damage Restoration Experts

Here at ER Plumbing Services, we’ve established relationships with local top notch water damage restoration experts. That means that we can come in and deal with the cause of your water damage—broken pipes, leaky pipes, sewer line malfunctions or sewer line stoppages. We’ll help you prevent future problems, too, saving you money. Then we’ll call in our Charlotte water damage restoration experts to restore your home or business to its original condition.

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Posted in Charlotte | Tagged charlotte water damage restoration | 1 Comment

Charlotte Sewer Line Stoppage

Posted on March 12, 2012 by ER Plumbing

Are you experiencing a sewer line stoppage? If so, you’re probably pretty desperate to get it taken care of. Sewer line stoppages can be disgusting and cause terrible damage to a home or business.

What Causes Sewer Line Stoppages?

In most cases, tree roots cause sewer lines to back up. Tree roots are far more powerful than you might expect them to be, and they are always in search of water. If there is any sort of crack in your sewer system at all, the tree roots will find it and force their way into the pipe. Once they’ve cracked the pipe open (they often attack at the main sewer line joints), they cause lots of problems. In most cases, they both cost you money (because they cause leaking from the pipes) and they cause a sewer line stoppage that you can’t handle without professional plumbing equipment.

Other causes of sewer line stoppages include grease build up and the flushing of inappropriate products. Sometimes commercial businesses have problems with sewer lines backing up because they don’t have adequate drain strainers in the floors or sinks and too much junk gets washed down into the pipes. Commercial restrooms have problems because patrons flush inappropriate items down into the system.

How Do We Handle Sewer Line Stoppage Problems?

The first thing you’ll want to do is to turn off the shut off valve on the toilets and to get everyone in the home or business to use another source of restrooms until you get a plumber on site.

We use our cameras to detect where the stoppage is occurring so we can deal with the problem quickly and efficiently. Then we use hydro jetters, high grade professional snaking equipment, and industrial construction equipment to deal with the clog, remove tree roots, or replace piping as is needed. We always restore your property to the original state (or better), and we respond immediately. We carry all the necessary equipment on our trucks so we can handle your sewer line emergency immediately and completely.

Check out our photos of some of the tree root problems we’ve dealt with in Charlotte sewer line stoppage cases. You can also check out our videos about how we deal with sewer line stoppages and our restoration process.

Let ER Plumbing Help

Whether you’re dealing with a residential problem or a Charlotte business sewer line stoppage, you need help and you need it quickly. That’s why we’re open 24/7, 365 days a year. We can handle your sewer line stoppage now, without delay, for no extra cost.

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Posted in Plumbing, Uncategorized | Tagged sewer line backed up, sewer line stoppage | Leave a comment

Washing Machine Stoppage

Posted on March 5, 2012 by ER Plumbing

Is your washing machine draining slowly? Is your washing machine not draining all the way? Is your washing machine drain pipe overflowing and causing water damage and flooding? Have you noticed water building up in the kitchen sink or garbage disposal? If so, you are having problems with washing machine stoppage, something the Charlotte plumbing experts at ER Plumbing can definitely fix for you.

How To Determine What Is Causing The Washing Machine Stoppage

Check out the following symptoms and possible solutions:

Localized Washing Machine Stoppage

Is water coming over the standpipe when the machine is on the spin cycle? If you try to solve this yourself, you’ll have to move the washing machine, access the standpipe, disconnect the hot and cold water supply lines, and see if the clean out plug is deteriorating with age. Often times the lines, pipes, or clean out plug can become clogged or corroded with age. Test the hoses to see if they are cracking or about to go, and consider replacing them.

You’ll have to figure out if the clog is something you can reach and unclog or if you’ll need professional plumbing equipment to solve the problem. In most cases, you’ll want to hire a plumber to handle this as the causes for the clog can vary and the heavy lifting can be intimidating. While you could try snaking the line, you’ll often find the blockage is difficult to break up without professional jetting equipment.

Mainline Sewer Stoppage

If you see water collecting in other spots of the house (related to the washing machine operation), you probably have a mainline sewer stoppage. This can show up in the bathtub, shower, kitchen sink, or a lower floor sink. You’ll need to get a plumber out to check your mainline sewer lines to solve this problem.

How ER Plumbing Services Can Fix Your Washing Machine Stoppage Problems

Here at ER Plumbing Services, we do more than just fix your washing machine drainage problems. We can replace parts, restore areas that were harmed by water damage, and help you prevent future problems with your washing machine. We’re the Charlotte washing machine stoppage experts, and we’re available 365 days a years, 24/7.

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Posted in Charlotte, Plumbing | Tagged washing machine drain problems, washing machine not draining, washing machine overflowing, washing machine stoppage | Leave a comment

Ask Dave

Posted on March 3, 2012 by ER Plumbing

Welcome to ASK DAVE, our exciting new question and answer column.

Do you have plumbing questions? Do you need plumbing advice? This is the place to get answers to plumbing questions, big or small.

Just post your questions here below on our ASK DAVE column, and David Parker, master plumber and president of ER Plumbing Services, will answer questions and give advice.

Dave will be covering questions about:
• Plumbing brands and products
• Plumbing services
• Plumbing maintenance issues
• Who to hire to perform specific services
• What kinds of plumbing jobs are safe to tackle on your own
• Plumbing How-To questions and DIY plumbing projects

Feel free to ask questions about:
• Hot water heaters
• Water filtration systems
• Garbage disposals
• Washing machines
• Dishwashers
• Toilets, showers and bathtubs
• Leak detection and repair
• Drain clearing
• Pipe work
• Sewer and water line installation and repair
• Gas logs installation

We want to answer your questions so you can make educated decisions as you tackle your plumbing projects and concerns.

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Posted in Ask Dave Plumbing Questions, Plumbing | 25 Comments

Kitchen Sink Stoppage

Posted on February 26, 2012 by ER Plumbing

Is your kitchen sink draining slowly? Have you noticed your kitchen sink smells bad? Have you wondered if your garbage disposal isn’t working right? If you have had any of these problems, you’ll want to address your kitchen sink stoppage right away.

What Causes Your Kitchen Sink To Back Up?

There are several reasons why your kitchen sink may be backing up like this. You might have a problem with your garbage disposal, where the blades are dulled or aren’t operating properly. You might have debris caked inside the walls of the garbage disposal or pipes. You might have something big lodged in the drain, disposal, or pipes. The clog may be way down the pipe where you can’t reach it.

What To Do About Kitchen Sink Stoppage

It’s easier to prevent a clogged kitchen sink drain or pipe than it is to clear one. Once you’ve got this problem, you need to be careful to deal with the stoppage carefully so you won’t hurt yourself. Try the following:

Heat water to boiling and try pouring it down the drain to loosen grease, debris and clogged material
Use a plunger to loosen debris
Disconnect the garbage disposal from the power and try to manually discover what might be causing the stoppage

If You Can’t Unclog Your Kitchen Sink

Whatever you do, don’t pour chemicals down your clogged sink drain. The chemicals can cause toxic fumes and can splash back up into your face as you try to unclog the drain. Most of the chemicals don’t work and can cause serious injury or chemical burns, even blindness. It’s better to hire a plumber to come clear your clogged sink than to injure yourself or break your garbage disposal.

How To Prevent Future Sink Stoppage

You can prevent this problem from happening by:

Limiting what goes down your sink drain
Only putting a few things down into the garbage disposal at a time and running plenty of hot water or ice cubes with the stuff you grind up
Never putting grease, vegetable peels, animal fat or skin down your kitchen drain or into your disposal
Running boiling hot water (plus salt or baking soda) down your kitchen drain once a month

Let ER Plumbing Clear Your Clogged Drain

Here at ER Plumbing, we are drain clearing experts. We can handle your kitchen sink stoppage with expert service, promptly and efficiently.

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Posted in Plumbing | Tagged kitchen sink stoppage | Leave a comment

Common Causes of Clogged Drains And Broken Pipes

Posted on February 20, 2012 by ER Plumbing

Have you seen the pictures of some of the projects we’ve tackled lately? (If you haven’t, check out our Facebook page pics. While you’re there, feel free to enter our drawing for a free iPad. Drawing ends March 15^th, 2012.) You can see we often deal with clogged drains, clogged pipes, and broken pipes.

But what causes clogged drains and pipes? We like to teach our customers how to prevent future plumbing problems, so we’ve offered this short guide on protecting your drains and pipes.

Common Causes Of Clogged Drains And Broken Pipes

Clogged drains and pipes can mean big problems, especially for businesses that rely on good plumbing function. A clogged drain or broken pipe is never good news, but it’s even worse news when you own a restaurant and are in the middle of rush hour or own a hotel and find out you’ve got flooding problems.

Clogged pipes are often caused by:

Grease
Hair
Inappropriate items being flushed down pipes
Food scraps
Floss
Diapers
Sanitary products
Tree roots that break the pipes and clog the pipes while wasting water

How To Protect Your Drains And Pipes

You can protect your drains and pipes by doing the following:

Post a list of what is appropriate to put down the drain
Post a list of what is appropriate to put down the garbage disposal
Post a list of what is appropriate to put down a toilet
Make sure your family, employees and patrons can see the lists
Keep an eye on your water bill and look for signs of leaks (water bill spike)
Monthly perform a hot water cleanse of your drains (using boiling water)
Protect your drains with grates
Clean the grates on your drains often
Institute hourly drain and restroom checks so you can keep an eye on potential plumbing problems before they escalate

What To Do If You Have A Clogged Drain

If you’ve got a clogged drain, you can follow the steps listed here to try to unclog the drain by yourself. If you can’t safely unclog the drain on your own, call us and we’ll clear your drains and pipes immediately.

Let ER Plumbing Help You

Here at ER Plumbing, we are leak detection specialists and clogged drain specialists. We can handle leak and clogged drain problems of any magnitude. We can handle:

Residential clogged drains
Commercial clogged drains
Residential leaks in pipes
Commercial leaks

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Posted in Plumbing, Uncategorized | Tagged broken pipes, causes of clogged drains, clogged drains, clogged pipes, how to prevent future plumbing problems, unclog drains, unclog pipes, what causes clogged drains | Leave a comment

Why Would I Choose To Replace My Hot Water Heater?

Posted on February 15, 2012 by ER Plumbing

When should you replace your hot water heater? Do you know how long a hot water heater usually lasts, how to maintain your hot water heater, and why you’d replace a hot water heater? This simple primer will help you learn everything you need to know about hot water heater replacement.

When Should I Replace My Hot Water Heater?

Of course the obvious answer is you need to replace your hot water heater when you are no longer getting any hot water, but wise homeowners replace their hot water heaters before they give out entirely. Why is this?

The average conventional (tank) hot water heater only works at full efficiency for 10-12 years
Once the heater ages, its efficiency drops, meaning you may be paying a lot more than is necessary to get the hot water you need
If you haven’t maintained your heater, it may give out or stop working at optimal levels a lot sooner than if you’ve been performing annual maintenance
You may stand to save a great deal of money if you switch from your old, inefficient hot water heater to a tankless water heater

But How Do I Know If I Should Replace My Hot Water Heater Now?

The following are good indicators that it’s time to replace your hot water heater now:

You’re not getting enough hot water to meet your family’s needs
Your heater is over ten years old (check the date on the tank)
You want to save money on energy savings (for example, switching to a tankless hot water heater can save you up to 50% on your energy costs)
You want to take advantage of a rebate or offer (keep up with tax credits and rebates for water heaters by checking these two sites: Energy Star and Energy Savvy)

What Maintenance Should I Perform To Extend The Life Of My Hot Water Heater?

To keep your hot water heater working at optimal capacity, you need to:

Annually drain your tank and flush the sediment from the tank
Change the anode rod once every three years

How Big Of A Hot Water Heater Do I Need?

Here at ER Plumbing, we’re experts at calculating out what size and type water heater will best serve your family’s needs. Check out our simple hot water size calculator post and contact us for a consultation. We’ll show you all your options and help you choose the right hot water heater for your long term needs.

Contact ER Plumbing – The Charlotte Hot Water Heater Specialists

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How Do I Prevent My Well From Freezing?

Posted on February 10, 2012 by ER Plumbing

We’ve been lucky so far this winter—the weather has been pretty mild. Still, we have a few more weeks of cold weather ahead of us, and some of you with wells may have had problems with freezing pipes. If you want to prevent your well from freezing, you’ll want to follow these simple steps to protect your well:

Get Out Your Camera

You might think this is crazy, but the first thing you’ll want to do is to take a photo of the tag on the well pipe (that metal plate you see that has the well depth, water level, and other important information on it) so you have this information on hand. It’s good to know how old your well is and what the well depth is in case you have problems with your well in the future.

Prepare The Pipes

Your pump is actually deep down inside your well, so you’ll actually be looking at an extension of the well casing and the associate pipes. You’ll need to measure the length of the pipes that are exposed (out of the ground) so you can insulate them. If the pipes are somewhat frozen already, use a hair dryer to warm them up and then use an old towel to wipe them down.

Insulate The Pipes

You can use one of many types of insulation. Some people like foam pipe insulation, but others cut up old sweatshirts or a thick fabric like sweatshirt material or a thermal blanket. If you use sweatshirt material, be sure to wrap it twice (double thickness) to make sure the pipes are insulated enough. Use heat tape to attach the material or insulation around the pipes and to keep it secured.

Install A Heat Lamp

Now you’ll want to install a heat lamp inside the well house. You’ll need to plug it in, so be sure to use outdoor-safe extension cord to connect the lamp to the electrical outlet. The heat lamp will keep the well nice and warm.

Cover The Well

Cover the well with one of the following:

An insulated, preconstructed well cover (you can find fiberglass rocks or well houses for sale at hardware stores)
A trash can (better yet, a trash can within a trash can, with insulation in between the two cans)
A brick well house
A framed well house

If Your Well Is Frozen

Try thawing the pipes with a hair dryer. Check to see if the well is still working. Unfortunately, frozen pipes can cause the pipes to shut off tightly, which can ruin a submersible pump. If your pump is not working or you have a broken pipe that is now leaking, call us right away for a consultation.

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Posted in Charlotte, NC, Plumbing | Tagged well from freezing | Leave a comment

Why Are We Giving Away A Free iPad 2?

Posted on February 8, 2012 by ER Plumbing

If you’ve read our February newsletter, you know we are giving away a free iPad this month.

Here’s a copy of our February newsletter:

February, 2012

Like our Facebook page and enter your name and email before March 15th and you’ll be entered in our drawing for an iPad2!

ER Plumbing is giving away an iPad2 as a way to thank our loyal customers and increase our visibility in the Charlotte area.

Simply click on this link, which will take you to our Facebook page, like our page if you haven’t already by clicking the “Like” button, and enter your name and preferred email. This will enter you into the drawing for an iPad2.

You may wonder why you need to fill in your name and email once you’ve liked our Facebook page, and the reason is in order to comply with Facebook terms and conditions.

New Plumbing Tips And Plumbing Q&A Column
Here at ER Plumbing Services, we have launched an online initiative designed to ensure that plumbing information, tips and resources are readily available for families and businesses. We have reconstructed our website to provide a plumbing blog, Facebook posts, and Twitter updates to answer questions like:

How do I know if I need a water filtration system?
Why are my pipes making noises?.
How can I safely unclog a blocked drain?
What maintenance should I perform on my commercial plumbing system?
How do I choose a new hot water heater?
How can I detect a leak in my water or sewer pipes?.
What is that leaky shower costing me?

We are addressing these topics through weekly blog posts. The blog posts will be archived on the site by category. Links to the blog posts will be posted on our Facebook page, so you’ll get to see what questions are being addressed.Visit our blog
New ASK DAVE Question And Answer Column
We’re also about to a launch our new ASK DAVE question and answer column. Dave has thirty years of experience as a Charlotte plumber, and he’s eager to answer your plumbing questions. Post questions on our new ASK DAVE column and Dave will give you expert advice.

In summary, we are striving to make this the most comprehensive and accessible consumer information knowledgebase provided by the plumbing industry.

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We hope this drawing will attract new viewers to our blog and our upcoming ASK DAVE column. Please share this news with your friends and neighbors and let them in on the news. We appreciate your support and patronage!

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Charlotte Hot Water Heater Installation and Repair Services

Reasons To Get A Plumber Out To Look At Your Hot Water Heater

Why Your Hot Water Heater Might Be Costing You A Pretty Penny In Energy Bills

Hot Water Heater Installation – Choosing a New Hot Water Heater

Charlotte Water Damage Restoration

Why Water Damage Is More Serious Than You Might Think

Charlotte Water Damage Restoration Experts

Charlotte Sewer Line Stoppage

What Causes Sewer Line Stoppages?

How Do We Handle Sewer Line Stoppage Problems?

Let ER Plumbing Help

Washing Machine Stoppage

How To Determine What Is Causing The Washing Machine Stoppage

Localized Washing Machine Stoppage

Mainline Sewer Stoppage

How ER Plumbing Services Can Fix Your Washing Machine Stoppage Problems

Ask Dave

Kitchen Sink Stoppage

What Causes Your Kitchen Sink To Back Up?

What To Do About Kitchen Sink Stoppage

If You Can’t Unclog Your Kitchen Sink

How To Prevent Future Sink Stoppage

Common Causes of Clogged Drains And Broken Pipes

Why Would I Choose To Replace My Hot Water Heater?

How Do I Prevent My Well From Freezing?

Why Are We Giving Away A Free iPad 2?

February, 2012

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